Join ArtsNow and co-hosts Downtown Akron Partnership and S3 Technologies for a conversation on the intersection of art, technology, and community development as part of our ArtsNow Presents series.

More and more we are seeing art and technology come together, making art more interactive, accessible, and in some ways complicated than ever before. For this conversation we will come together with artists Alexandria Couch and Micah Kraus, Kelli Fetter (Downtown Akron Partnership), and Bill Myers (S3 Technologies) to discuss their project making art come to life through Augmented Reality in Downtown Akron. We’ll explore a greater conversation on how this type of work can create a socially engaging way to interact with art while encouraging community exploration and showing that art is truly for all people.

Alexandria Couch is a graduate of the Myers School of Art at the University of Akron, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting, drawing, and printmaking. The majority of her work explores her experience as a minority, attempting to piece together an identity in unfavorable environments. The combination of traditional and found materials helps to emphasize the idea of finding herself through exploration. She has had the honor and opportunity to win awards for her work starting with her Portfolio Review Scholarship received from Myers upon entry and followed by the 2018 Outstanding Student Gillette Academic Scholarship, the 2018 Gillette Study of Arts Abroad Scholarship to Paris, and the High Arts Festival Runner Up, participant in the 2019 GAR show, the 2019 Academic Scholarship to Venice, and a Studio Academic Scholarship for 2019.

Micah Kraus is an artist and educator living in Akron, Ohio. Since 2001, he has been an art instructor and Fine Arts department chair of Archbishop Hoban High School, where he is proud to contribute to the arts culture at the school. Kraus travels often with his wife, ceramic artist Kim Eggleston-Kraus, friends and students and is inspired by the people, places and things he experiences along the way. He has shown his work in group and solo exhibitions regionally and nationally and is art director of Akron Coffee Roasters, creating their packaging and merchandise. In 2018 Kraus received the Juror Award for Visual Art in Akron’s High Arts Festival and was an Outstanding Artist finalist in the 2019 Arts Alive Awards. Micah Kraus has a BA in Art Education and an MA in Printmaking from Kent State University

Kelli Fetter joined Downtown Akron Partnership in March 2014. She oversees the outreach efforts of DAP by planning innovative programs and events that engage downtown workers, visitors and residents. She is DAP’s representative on the committees for Reimagining the Civic Commons, and community festivals and events. Kelli earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing management and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Akron.

Bill Myers is a Partner and Director of Emerging Technology at S3 Technologies. He designs and implements augmented, virtual, and mixed reality capabilities into integrated commercial applications. He brings a passion for driving a culture of innovation, keeping S3 Technologies on the forefront of the emerging tech landscape as the premier provider of technology solutions in Northeast Ohio. Prior to S3, Bill was the Co-Founder of New Territory, acquired by S3 Technologies in January 2020, an immersive technology startup based in the Bounce Innovation Hub in Akron. Bill also founded the Akron and Cleveland Virtual Reality Meetup groups, with over 1,100+ members at their peak, in addition to serving in Product Development for Movable, a fitness activity monitor company. Bill holds a B.A. in Political Science from John Carroll University.

This event addresses Cultural Plan Community Priority #8 Placemaking: https://www.akronculturalplan.com/8-placemaking